Can't complain
by Merlin0720
Summary: Everyone in Barry's life just seems to know when to meet, but they won't tell Barry. He watches as people come and go, but who is he to complain when it means more time with his family?


**Hey guys. For purpose of this fan fiction, Barry never ran back to save his mom.**

 **I own nothing but would love to hear what you think!**

Barry was beginning to notice something strange with the people around him. First, it was just Joe and Iris. They would randomly insist on movie nights, complete with grandma Water's noodles. He didn't mind, but he found it strange. They had never done this before the accident. Maybe they were just trying to spend time with him after he almost died. Or maybe they were hoping to help him cope with what happened to him. Either way, he wasn't going to complain.

Then there was Eddie. Suddenly, he was included in the movie nights. He would show up, sometimes during Dinner, sometimes after, but always on the same nights Joe and Iris planned impromptu movie nights. Again, Barry wasn't sure why, but he wasn't going to complain.

Then, Caitlyn and Cisco started to show up as well. Barry wasn't sure how they all got the memo, since he never knew until he came home to a house full of people, but they were always there. Barry noticed that they all seemed to be watching him, like he would disappear if left alone.

Two weeks later, on a stormy day spent helping team arrow, Barry was surprised to walk in on an apparent party. He was even more surprised to see Oliver, Felicity, and Wiggle there. Felicity was whispering to Caitlyn and she kept glancing at Barry as though she was reliving a nightmare just by looking at him. It wasn't exactly flattering.

Barry expected these parties to stop or dwindle over time, but they just got bigger and more common. He couldn't find a common time, so he just consented to show up each time. He watched as the crowds changed. First, Eddie stopped coming, for obvious reasons. Then, the addition of Wally, Jesse, and Harry. It seemed like they all knew something he didn't, but whenever he asked, they all dodged his questions. He couldn't complain because he couldn't bear for it to stop.

One stormy night, Barry was working late in the lab, he had been doing that a lot lately. He glanced up when he heard someone enter the room and was surprised to see captain sighn watching him. "Go home, Allen," he said, gesturing to the door. Barry opened his mouth to argue, but one look from his captain had him grabbing his jacket. He walked down the stairs and out into the pouring rain.

He could have sped home, but Barry wasn't ready to be there quite yet. It had been a rough couple weeks, what with Zoom and Patty. He needed time to think things through.

When Barry walked through the door to his home twenty minutes later, he was surprised to see the front room filled with people. Iris immediately engulfed him in a relieved hug, even though he looked like a drowned rat. Everyone started talking at once, asking where he had been, telling him how worried they had been, and lecturing him on how irresponsible he had been.

Barry tried to explain where he had been, but was engulfed in another hug by his relieved adoptive father. "I'm sorry." He said, slightly bewildered. "I didn't realize I'd scare you guys. I walk home all the time."

"Barry, it's storming outside,"said Isis in a weak voice. Barry must have looked confused because she elaborated. "There's lots of lightning tonight. We were waiting for you to start the movie, just like always."

Suddenly, it all became clear to him. All those night had been stormy. All the movie nights, where everyone watched him like he would disappear. When his Captain or Joe or even sometimes Eddie would force him to leave the lab or sit with him till it was time to go, they had all been nights full of lightening. They had lost him once, even if they didn't know him at the time and they were terrified of losing him again. And Barry couldn't get himself to complain.

 **Thanks! Reviews are luv.**

 **Should I do one from someone else's point of view? Maybe an arrow one?**


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